Alcohol Consumption

Alcohol Consumption

While there are generally no alcoholic drinks allowed on your program, there are some special precautions you can take to enjoy an occasional drink. First off you have to realize that alcohol, whether beer, wine or liquor, has calories and they add up fast when you drink. But, if you “allow” for those calories by substituting food that you are allowed to eat then you can get by without much impact on your weight loss.

Let’s define an alcoholic drink first. One drink consists or 1.5oz of liquor (vodka, rum, gin, bourbon, whiskey etc...) 5oz of wine, or a 12oz beer or cider. But not all drinks are the same. Yes, those measures will contain about the same amount of alcohol (beers can vary greatly) but the calories can be greatly different.

And be careful. Drinking alcohol can lower your ability to say no to those foods you should not be eating. Drink with caution. When in a social situation where there is food in front of you and your inhibitions go down, it can be trouble.

General rules if consuming alcohol:

- No beers or ciders; carbs and sugars are just too high. (Unless extremely low carb, like Michelob Ultra, Miller Light, Amstel Light not all light beers are low carb.)

- A 5oz glass of dry wine is fine. If it is sweet it has too much sugar.

- Best bet is liquor. Vodka, Whiskey, Gin, Tequila etc… But be careful with mixers. No fruit juices, no sodas (Coke, Sprite etc.) No tonic water, it has almost as much sugar as colas and no diet sodas (no artificial sweeteners). Neat or on the rocks is fine, or mixed with water or Club Soda/Seltzer, i.e. a gin and tonic with lime is bad, a gin and club soda with lime better.

- If you have a drink of any kind you must not eat your fruit for the day.
One drink = One fruit serving.

Of course you don’t want to make it a habit. And make sure you drink an extra 16-32oz of water per drink you have.

Cheers.
Dr. John Heary, CFT, SFN
Fitness 19
800 Harlem Rd.
W. Seneca, NY 14224
(716) 970-9149
www.MaximumFitnessSolutions.com

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